| Bon Jovi has best shot at 2008 Rock Hall of Fame induction |
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USA Today article
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is proud to induct Canada's weirdest band, Skinny Puppy …
OK, that's not a likely scenario, even if the industrial experimentalists are finally eligible. But when the nominating committee for the Rock Hall sits down today in New York to hash out nominees, the first step in the process that will elect the class of 2009, it will be choosing from a relatively unappetizing menu of first-time prospects.
The closest thing to the Madonnas, R.E.M.s, Van Halens and U2s that have starred at recent inductions is probably Bon Jovi.
Another leading prospect is the late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, but the rest of the crop — including Cyndi Lauper, k.d. lang, Billy Bragg, and metal extremists Slayer — are more marginal prospects.
Which means the committee will need to turn to holdovers — those previously eligible artists who have yet to gain sufficient support. Among them are previous nominees Chic, Donna Summer and the Beastie Boys, all of whom must confront the "Is disco or rap really rock?" conundrum that regularly polarizes voters and fans.
"If people are adamant in their disregard for disco," says MSN senior music producer Sam Sutherland, "Chic is in trouble. But talk about a band with crazy chops who used a rock vocabulary … they should be in."
Sutherland feels Bon Jovi has the inside track for induction. "They have just enough rock legitimacy among critics and sales power that it's hard to see skipping them," he says.
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